140 speedo YAY!! I have one for you too! "kinda"

I've had my 140 for quite some time, but wish I had the '87 Sport style gauges that were all digital. I like the digi tack and speedo better. It's just different.

Originally posted by B:
OK last question/concern... I promise sort of...
If they make a 140mph overlay the goes over the stock gauge face and uses stock lighting, then I would assume that it would not light up very well at night since the numbers won't line up. Would it be possible to remove the stock face and install the 140 in its place without the whole thing lighting up at night?

You will have to sand off the face. I used the 400 grit recommended in the post.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...oval-1.jpg
I tried using acetone to remove the paint, but it also removed the green coloring. Better if you sand it.

TAKE THE OLD OVERLAY OUT FIRST, BEFORE YOU SAND IT! Otherwise you will scratch the plastic backplate over the odometer.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...tebest.jpg

For demonstation purposes I have an already sanded stock overlay


Pics..
So that you can see removal better I am showing how to do it with a PREVIOUSLY sanded overlay. That was removed and then sanded.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...kplate.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...platea.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...tebest.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...verlay.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...emoved.jpg

This is the way I would do it.

Here is an example with paper printed overlay. I was trying to hold it while shooting pic, so its actually greener because I didnt have it pressed against the green backplate.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...elight.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/b...nlight.jpg

I am sure it would look even nicer with the vinyl version or plastic overlay

How thick is that green back plate? I'm thinking that I could possibly perform a color change to the numbers when they are lit by getting a piece of colored acrylic and cutting it out on my laser at work to make a new back plate and just replacing the whole back plate/overlay with new stuff. Being that you have already had the whole thing apart, do you think this would work?

Originally posted by B:
How thick is that green back plate? I'm thinking that I could possibly perform a color change to the numbers when they are lit by getting a piece of colored acrylic and cutting it out on my laser at work to make a new back plate and just replacing the whole back plate/overlay with new stuff. Being that you have already had the whole thing apart, do you think this would work?

I definitely think that could work.

The green color is somehow attached to a plexiglass piece around 1/8 to 3/16 thick that acts as a "light pipe" to transfer the light from the bulbs to the speedo. I really dont know if it is glued on or part of the plexi top layer. I do know that if you sand hard enough you can get the green color stuff off. The green stuff isnt all the same shade..... darker in some areas and significantly lighter in others, in between darker and lighter in other areas to illuminate the speedo uniformly since some parts of the speedo are closer to the bulbs. Looking at it, some serious design work was done to get the various green shadings exactly right to provide uniform illimination across the speedo face.

Chip, if the company that you are talking to will do the recalibration and put a new face on it, will they also make a new face based on a file that we provide? I have HQ versions I would like made into new faces and would want a 140.

Originally posted by methos:
Chip, if the company that you are talking to will do the recalibration and put a new face on it, will they also make a new face based on a file that we provide? I have HQ versions I would like made into new faces and would want a 140.

Call me ignorant, but whats HQ

High Quality. The files that I have are around 5MB TIFF images that I have gotten from I think cool cats and edited to how I want them.

So im guessing the mustang spedos don't work.

'Stang speedos are cable driven, while the 'Birds and Cats are electricaly "driven" (no cable connection between the speedo and trans)